Department for Research and Development to Support Independent Life of Elderly, Center for Gerontology and Social Science National Institute of Longevity Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan.
Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2013 Apr;13(2):314-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2012.00898.x. Epub 2012 Jun 14.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between dual-task performance and neurocognitive measures in community-dwelling older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
A total of 98 subjects (mean age 74.8 years, 52.0% female) participated in the study. We compared 36 participants with amnestic MCI (aMCI) with 62 participants with non-amnestic MCI (non-aMCI) on dual-task performance as measured by reaction time responses. The relationships between dual-task performance and multiple domains of neurocognitive functions, including general cognitive function, visual memory, working memory, executive function and processing speed, were examined.
Although there were no statistically significant group differences in simple reaction times (P = 0.734), the aMCI group showed significantly slower dual-task reaction times than the non-aMCI group (P = 0.012). Using multiple regression analysis, we found that there was a significant relationship between executive function and dual-task reaction times (β = 0.298, P = 0.006).
These results showed that aMCI subjects showed a specific deficit in dual-task performance compared with non-aMCI subjects, and poor dual-task performance was associated with declines in executive function in older people with MCI. Future longitudinal and interventional studies should investigate the use of dual-task testing with varying levels of cognitive demand in older adults at risk of dementia.
本研究旨在探讨认知障碍（MCI）社区老年人在双重任务表现与神经认知测量之间的关系。
共有 98 名受试者（平均年龄 74.8 岁，52.0%为女性）参与了这项研究。我们比较了 36 名有遗忘型 MCI（aMCI）的参与者和 62 名非遗忘型 MCI（non-aMCI）参与者在反应时间测量上的双重任务表现。研究了双重任务表现与多个神经认知功能领域（包括一般认知功能、视觉记忆、工作记忆、执行功能和处理速度）之间的关系。
尽管在简单反应时间方面两组间没有统计学显著差异（P=0.734），但 aMCI 组的双重任务反应时间明显慢于 non-aMCI 组（P=0.012）。通过多元回归分析，我们发现执行功能与双重任务反应时间之间存在显著关系（β=0.298，P=0.006）。
这些结果表明，与 non-aMCI 组相比，aMCI 组在双重任务表现上存在特定缺陷，而双重任务表现不佳与 MCI 老年人的执行功能下降有关。未来的纵向和干预研究应该调查在有痴呆风险的老年人中使用具有不同认知需求的双重任务测试。
